Oliver Gilbert - A Life in Ecology

It is ten years on from Ollie’s premature death. This 2-day conference, supported by the BES, was organised by Professor Ian Rotherham and Dr Paul Ardron, both long-term friends and associates of the late Dr Oliver Gilbert to encompass his many interests and as a celebration of his contributions to urban ecology, lichenology, exotic plants, and urban and post-industrial landscapes over a period of 50 years.

Invited speakers delivered papers relating to topics reflecting some of Oliver’s many interests, including ‘alien’ species, lichens, urban woodlands, and the flora associated with post-industrial sites.

Oliver was one of the first academic ecologists to look in detail at the urban environment and he established terms such as ‘the urban commons’, and his book The Ecology of Urban Habitats still stands alone as the primary text in this field. He also challenged much conventional thinking on the merits or otherwise of invasive aliens such as sycamore and Japanese knotweed. Along with George Barker, Oliver pioneered academic interest in urban habitats and in urban ecology. Speakers included Professor Mark Seaward, Dr Penny Anderson, Professor Nigel Dunnett, Dr Jan Woudstra, Anne Le Sage, Dr Rob Francis, Dr Peter Shaw, Professor Melvyn Jones, Dr Anna Jorgensen, Penny Anderson, and Dr John Barnatt.

The following selection of photographs feature speakers at both days of this successful conference (Chris Percy/SYBRG).